MAN, 30, CHARGED IN HOME INVASION ATTEMPT

STEPHANIE REITZ; Courant Staff WriterTHE HARTFORD COURANT

A New Britain man faces several charges in connection with an attempted home invasion last fall, in which two police cruisers were rammed and an officer was nearly struck by the suspect's fleeing vehicle.

The incident occurred Nov. 28 on Stillwood Chase when two men dressed in black tried to break into a house where a woman was home alone around 1 p.m.

As officers responded to her frantic 911 call, the men rapidly backed out of the driveway and slammed into two cruisers, police said.

They raced toward Route 185 at speeds exceeding 80 mph at times, slipping into Bloomfield, then through Hartford and West Hartford. The vehicle was found later that day in New Britain.

On Thursday, Simsbury police arrested 30-year-old Allen McDonald of 41 Oakland Ave., second floor, of New Britain, on a warrant in connection with the incident.

He was arraigned on charges of first-degree criminal attempt to commit burglary, first-degree conspiracy to commit burglary, two counts of criminal attempt to assault a police officer, and one count each of reckless endangerment, reckless driving, evading responsibility and failure to bring a vehicle to a full stop when commanded.

Simsbury police Lt. John Mendela called the arrest the result of "an exhaustive search" by the Simsbury and Hartford police departments.

No information was available late Friday on whether the investigation was continuing and whether a second person was still being sought.